Little Bunny Lost (Episode 5)
by Zanza8
Summary: Nick searches for Judy after a blow to the head erases her memory.
1. Chapter 1

**Episode 5 of Zootopia, The Virtual Season. You can find all the episodes in Zootopia Communities, where the season is listed under my name.**

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Chief Bogo walked in the door of the Sand Hill Clinic and paused at the reception desk. "I was notified Officer Nick Wilde is here."

The receptionist, a mountain lion with a harassed expression, flipped through a sign-in sheet. "Yes, sir, he was brought in about an hour ago."

"Is he all right?"

"I'm paging Dr Wiley. He'll be able to give you all the information."

Bogo fumed but the mountain lion was already dealing with another animal. Fortunately the doctor, a tired-looking coyote, showed up before the police chief's patience ran out.

"Chief Bogo? I'm Dr Wiley." The coyote put out a paw.

Bogo gave it a quick shake. "What happened to Officer Wilde?"

"I'll take you back to see him." Wiley started down the hall. "He got a face full of fox repellent. He'll be all right, it's not designed to do permanent damage, but his eyes were burned. I've given him something for the pain, and there are some drops he'll have to use for a few days to speed healing." The coyote went into an emergency room with a number of cubicles and pulled back a curtain. "How are you feeling, Officer Wilde?"

Nick was sitting on the edge of the hospital bed, his shoulders slumped, staring at the floor. When the doctor spoke to him, he raised his head and Bogo drew in his breath. The fox's eyes were glazed, the whites swollen and red, and Bogo's jaw tightened.

"Who did this, Wilde? If we get a sketch artist…"

"We don't need a sketch artist, sir." Nick's voice was very quiet. "It was Judy."


	2. Chapter 2

_4 hours earlier:_

Nick was straightening his tie in the mirror of the locker room when Clawhauser rushed in. "Nick! I've been looking all over for you! The chief wants to see you right away!"

"Settle down, Benji. What's the matter? Someone delete his Gazelle app?"

"I don't know but it must be serious. I've never seen him looking so upset."

Clawhauser hurried off and Nick headed over to Bogo's office wondering what the chief wanted to see him about. He wasn't apprehensive. For all his flippant attitude, he knew he was a good cop and when he saw the chief's door open, he leaned on the jamb nonchalantly. "You wanted to see me, sir?"

"Come in and shut the door." Bogo looked uncharacteristically anxious and a tiny sliver of unease wormed its way into the fox's mind. He closed the door and went over to Bogo's desk and the cape buffalo demanded, "Have you heard from Hopps today?"

The uneasiness grew. "No, sir, but I don't always see her before our shift starts. Sometimes she likes to come in early to catch up on paperwork."

"Yes, she was here this morning when I got a call from the district attorney. He wanted an officer to go out to Sahara Square and pick up a witness. Hopps volunteered." The chief tapped his desk. "They never arrived at the courthouse."

Nick felt a jar go through him like a blow before the pain is felt. "What was the witness going to testify about?"

"She's the attendant of a gas station and caught a couple of juveniles vandalizing the bathroom."

"That doesn't seem serious enough to…" Nick swallowed hard. "That doesn't seem like the kind of witness a cop would be asked to escort."

"Normally, no, but the prosecutor said she was very nervous about testifying." Bogo's hoof was making a dent on his desk and he stopped tapping. "It wasn't even going to be in criminal court, just family court, but the parents had been verbally abusive. You know the sort, their little angels never do anything wrong and if they get in trouble, it's the fault of whoever caught them." Bogo rolled his eyes. "Some animals should never have children." His intercom buzzed and he punched it. "What is it, Clawhauser?"

"I have the district attorney on line one."

Bogo picked up his phone, listened for a few minutes, then hung it up, frowning. "That witness Hopps was supposed to escort just turned up at the courthouse."

Nick sighed with relief. "Nothing like a false alarm first thing in the morning to get the blood going."

"Another officer brought the witness in." Bogo's voice was low. "Hopps is missing."


	3. Chapter 3

Camille Mataya, a pretty camel with dark curly hair, chewed her lip nervously. "I don't know what happened to Officer Hopps. She picked me up at my apartment this morning, and she was just so sweet and understanding about me being a little scared about going to court. She even took me to Snarlbucks for coffee. And then we were driving to Savanna Central and someone hit our car."

"It was an accident, Chief, if you can call it that." Rufus King, the twelve-point red deer who brought Camille to the courthouse, was shaking with suppressed fury. "We were on the scene within minutes and we got the other driver, a donkey. He was too drunk to stand and he has a suspended license and three DUI convictions already. Miss Mataya here had been knocked out but was recovering consciousness as we arrived."

"And Judy?" asked Nick, his calm voice belying the fear in his eyes.

"She was gone when we got there." King spread his hooves. "Bystanders who witnessed the accident said she got out of the car and left."

Nick frowned. "That doesn't make any sense. Judy would never leave the scene of an accident, especially with a witness to protect."

Oscar Meyers, the weasel district attorney of Zootopia, interrupted the police officers. "I don't think Miss Mataya has anything further to add so I'd like to dismiss her so she can give her testimony."

Bogo said gruffly, "King, escort Miss Mataya to the courtroom and stay with her until she completes her testimony. Then take her statement and see she gets home safely."

The red deer saluted and left with the camel and Meyers said thoughtfully, "I remember getting beaned with a baseball at the company picnic and I was so dazed I still don't remember my wife taking me to the doctor. If Officer Hopps hit her head…"

"Way ahead of you." Bogo picked up the phone. "Get me the Sahara Square station."

Nick approached the chief. "Sir…"

Bogo held up a hoof. "Just a minute, Wilde. Rory?" He listened for a moment, then said, "That's just what I was going to ask you for. Keep me posted." He hung up the phone and turned to Nick and the district attorney. "Captain Haidar has already put out a BOLO for Officer Hopps."

"It shouldn't take long for someone to spot her, then," said Meyers. "She's the only rabbit in a police uniform."

"Actually, she wasn't in uniform. She thought Miss Mataya would be more comfortable if she was in plain clothes." Bogo turned to Nick. "Wilde, I already know what you're going to say. You want to go look for your partner yourself." Nick looked steadily back and the chief sighed. "You'll go with or without my permission, so I might as well give it to you."

"Thank you, sir." Nick headed for the door.

"Wilde!"

The fox stopped and turned. "Yes, sir?"

"Good luck."

Nick grinned and went out the door with a wave and Bogo went back to the ZPD to wait for developments, so confident Hopps would turn up that the call from the Sand Hill Clinic about Wilde was as bad a shock as he had ever gotten.


	4. Chapter 4

Upon hearing that Judy was the one who used fox repellent on Nick, her own partner, Bogo was taken aback. "Are you sure it was Hopps?" He knew it was a stupid question but he couldn't process what he was hearing.

"I'm sure." Nick got off the bed. "Did you bring my sunglasses, sir?"

The chief handed over the glasses and was relieved once the fox's eyes were hidden. If there was one thing that interfered with his thinking, it was seeing one of his officers injured. "You picked a bad day to forget your shades, Wilde."

"Tell me about it," said the fox ruefully. "I don't think it was Judy's fault, sir. She didn't seem to recognize me."

"Start at the top."

"There isn't much to tell. I checked in with Captain Haidar and he assigned an officer to drive around with me since I'm not familiar with the area. We got a call that Judy had been sighted at an ice cream parlor." Nick's voice faltered. "When we arrived, I got out of the car and approached her, and she…" He gestured to his face. "Once I was down, she took off. Nobody's seen her since."

Bogo turned to Wiley. "Do you have anything to add?"

"No," said the coyote slowly, "but I might be able to help. I heard about the car accident Officer Hopps was involved in on our police scanner. It sounds to me like she could be suffering from amnesia, induced by a blow to the head. If that's the case, it may be possible to determine what she might do next."

"If Hopps doesn't remember her own partner, how is it possible to predict what she'll do?" asked Bogo impatiently.

The coyote looked around the emergency room. "Let's take this to my office. I think I might be able to shed some light on the situation."

Dr Wiley's office was not large and seemed even smaller with all the books it was crammed with, but he removed a number of volumes from two chairs so Nick and Bogo could sit, and perched himself on the edge of his desk. "Amnesia is a rather mysterious condition," he began. "It's extremely rare for an animal to suffer memory loss to this extent, but it's almost unheard of for memory to be _permanently_ lost. As time goes on, the mind begins to remember."

"I don't see how that helps," said Nick. "We need to find Judy _now_ , not wait for her to remember us."

"Of course," said the coyote. "Tell me about Officer Hopps. I read a little about her when the Night Howlers case broke. She was the first bunny on the police force, yes?"

Bogo nodded. "Valedictorian at the academy. Drove me crazy. She wanted to work the missing mammals case on her first day, hardly an appropriate assignment for a rookie."

"Where _did_ you assign her?" asked Wiley.

"Parking duty. It seemed like a good fit. She was a political appointee of Mayor Lionheart's and I wasn't impressed by her class standing. There's a difference between being the top of your class in a controlled situation and actually working out on the street. And she wasn't from Zootopia, she came from a small farming community."

"Bunnyburrow." Nick smiled reminiscently.

Bogo said earnestly, "Hopps is a good cop, but when she graduated from the academy, she didn't know the city at all. I put her on parking duty so she could learn the streets, start dealing with the public in a relatively safe position of authority."

Wiley leaned forward. "How did she handle her assignment?"

"Not well," said Bogo dryly. "One would expect the valedictorian of the class to know police procedure. She abandoned her post to respond to a robbery and chased a suspect into Little Rodentia where she incited a scurry. I would have fired her, but Deputy Mayor Bellwether intervened."

"It seems she eventually won your respect."

"She did," replied Bogo, "but I fail to see how any of this helps to find her."

"It sounds like her first day was extremely eventful," mused Dr Wiley.

"It was," said Nick. "That was the day we met."

"Oh?" The coyote looked interested. "What can you tell me about that meeting?"

Nick hesitated and Bogo snapped, "I've already read the incident report Hopps wrote about that day, Wilde! Start talking!"

"Yes, sir. I met Judy at an ice cream parlor." He paused, then repeated very softly, "An ice cream parlor."

"You said she attacked you at an ice cream parlor," said Wiley.

The fox nodded vigorously. "And she was carrying fox repellent when I met her."

"Now we're getting somewhere." Wiley rubbed his paws together. "Are you and Officer Hopps close?"

"Very," said Nick.

The coyote raised his eyebrows. "And yet she wrote an incident report of your first meeting. That doesn't sound amicable."

"It wasn't." Nick squirmed under Bogo's baleful eye, then sighed. "When I met Judy, I was a con artist. I scammed her for a giant popsicle that I could melt down and make a lot of smaller popsicles to sell. She was furious with me and I told her off and tricked her into walking into wet cement."

"Is it fair to say she disliked you that first day?" asked Wiley.

The fox said evenly, "I think it's fair to say she hated me that first day. In fact, I think it's fair to say I went out of my way to make her hate me."

"Then we have a place to start," said the coyote. Nick and Bogo stared at him, puzzled. "Officer Hopps seems to be subconsciously back at her first day as a police officer. The ice cream parlor, the fox repellent, even injuring her partner, who on that first day was a stranger whom she came to hate. I think it very likely she'll go to the ice cream parlor where she first met _you_ , Officer Wilde. She's trying to get back to her life." Nick and Bogo exchanged an excited look and the coyote held up a warning paw. "You must be very careful. Remember she's scared and confused and she doesn't know you as her friend and partner, only a stranger that she hates. You must act accordingly and approach her carefully, in a way that will jog her memory, not traumatize her further. I would suggest not having any police uniforms anywhere Officer Hopps would see them. As much as she prizes her career as a police officer, that first day was very painful. You will have to think of another approach."


	5. Chapter 5

The bunny stood across the street watching animals come and go at the ice cream parlor. Why was she so drawn to ice cream parlors? She didn't like ice cream. At least, she didn't think she liked ice cream. She couldn't be sure of anything and she clutched the fox repellent for a moment and then tucked it away in her pocket. She still didn't know why she had bought it, nor why she had been so quick to use it on that fox cop when he approached her. She felt a little sick remembering how he had fallen, yelping in pain, and she closed her eyes for a moment. She had been so afraid of him, and yet what she had done to him felt so _wrong_. She sighed and resumed watching the ice cream parlor and her ears popped up at seeing another fox, this one dressed in a green Hawaiian shirt, go inside. She followed, hanging back as he went up to the counter.

The big elephant at the counter leaned over. "I don't want no trouble in here, fox. Get out."

"I don't want trouble," said the big fox meekly. "I just want to buy a jumbo pop for my little boy."

The bunny drew in her breath. Next to the fox, holding tightly to his paw, was a little fox with huge ears, wearing a grey jumpsuit. "Isn't he adorable?" asked the big fox, looking dotingly at the little one. "He loves elephants, wants to be an elephant." The little fox pulled the hood of his suit over his head, covering his face with an elephant mask complete with huge ears and a trunk. He tooted the trunk a couple of times and the big elephant regarded him with a sour expression. "You can get lost too, kid."

The little fox started to cry and the big one bent down. "I'm sorry, little buddy. This is the worst birthday ever. _Please_ don't be mad at me." The little one kissed his father and they started sadly out the door.

The bunny went up to the counter. "You should sell that nice dad a jumbo pop." She took out a twenty dollar bill and put it on the counter. "Keep the change."

The two foxes came back and the little one chose a giant red popsicle. The elephant handed it begrudgingly over to the father and the three animals started out the door. "This is so kind of you," said the big fox. "Can I pay you back?"

The bunny shook her head. "My treat."

He handed the popsicle to his son. "Two paws." The bunny reached for the door and the fox pulled it open for her. She stopped, looking up at him. His eyes were hidden by sunglasses but he was smiling at her and she smiled back uncertainly and proceeded outside, where she stopped again, curiously reluctant to let him walk away. "Just a minute."

The two foxes looked at her, waiting, and she said slowly, "I'm _not_ a dumb bunny."

The big fox grinned. "And that's not wet cement."

She looked down at her feet. The pavement was solid beneath her, but for a moment she could have sworn she was sinking into it. She stared at the big fox, her eyes widening as a kaleidoscope of images chased themselves across her mind. They were all of this fox, smirking at her, calling for her, smiling proudly and giving her a thumbs up. She saw him clinging to her as they swung through the air, eating a treat out of a cup so tiny it was barely visible in his paw, holding up a carrot pen, shouting at a big sheep. A final image dominated all the others, him snarling at her and lunging and grabbing her throat in his jaws. It should have been terrifying, but all she felt was complete trust and she put out a paw and touched his arm. "Nick?"

He leaned down. "That's right, Carrots."

"It's Judy," she said haltingly. "Officer Judy Hopps." She looked at the little fox. "And you're Finnick and you _don't_ want to be an elephant when you grow up."

"Nope, he's all grown up already," said Nick. "Nice touch, Finn, giving Daddy a kiss."

Finnick dropped the popsicle, pulled off the elephant hood, and snarled, "Mention that again and I'll bite your face off! You okay now, Judy?"

"I don't know. It's all so hazy. I was driving someone…" She gasped in horror. "Nick! I was taking a witness to court!"

"Relax. She made it and gave her testimony. You're the one we were worried about."

"I wasn't worried," said Finnick.

Judy smiled at him. "I know."

He smiled back, then said gruffly, "I'm outta here, Nick. I gotta get back to the garage before your boss puts me out of business."

He walked off and Judy asked, "Your boss?"

"Chief Bogo. Remember him?" Judy shook her head and Nick grinned wryly. "He'll love that. He's the chief of police at the ZPD. He told that jerk elephant to cooperate with us and covered the garage so Finn could help me. The doctor said you must have hit your head and gotten amnesia and it sounded like in your mind you were back at your first day as a cop. Finn and me hung out here and when you showed up, we went into our act hoping it would jog your memory."

"Doctor?" It was as if that was the only word Judy heard and she reached for Nick's sunglasses and pulled them off before he could stop her, her eyes filling with tears at the sight of his burns. "Oh, Nick, what did I do to you?"

He pulled her into a fierce hug. "It's okay, Judy. As long as you remember me, that's all I care about.


	6. Chapter 6

"Look up. Look down. Now follow my paw." Dr Wiley finished checking Nick's eyes and said, "Well, Officer Wilde, you're doing very well. Do you have any pain?"

Mindful of Judy sitting there watching so intently, Nick shrugged. "Maybe a little."

"Any light sensitivity?"

"No more than usual."

Wiley regarded his patient. "Did you use up the drops I gave you?" Nick nodded and the coyote selected two bottles from a drug cabinet. "Keep using them as instructed until your eyes are symptom free, but I don't need to see you again unless you're having a problem."

"Thanks, Doc." Nick pocketed the bottles. "Ready, Carrots?"

Judy got to her feet and went up to the doctor. "I want to thank you for taking such good care of Nick." Her voice trembled and the coyote smiled warmly.

"I'm just glad I was able to help both of you. It's a genuine pleasure to meet you, Officer Hopps. I was very interested in your story of being the first bunny cop. I'm the first in my family to graduate college. In fact, I'm the first in my family to finish high school. It's not easy breaking the mold." He put out a paw and Judy shook it, then he turned to Nick. "Take good care of yourself, Officer Wilde. You wouldn't be easy to replace."

Judy smiled gratefully at the coyote as she and Nick left, the fox wincing and putting on his sunglasses as they walked out into the sunlight. "Don't look at me like that. I've always needed shades in bright light."

"I know," said Judy. They got in their car and drove to the ZPD, reporting in to Bogo before heading back to their apartment house. Nick had been unusually pensive and Judy finally asked, "What are you thinking about?"

The fox sighed. "You should know if you ask me that question, I'll answer it." She didn't respond and he said hesitantly, "I'm wondering about the fox repellent."

"Nick, I am so sorry about that…"  
"I know. And it's okay. It's just...you had it the first day we met, and when you were...lost...you went back to carrying it. It's been a week, and I thought maybe you might want to tell me about it." Now it was Judy's turn to hesitate and Nick said softly, "Only if you want to."

"I want to." Judy paused for a moment to arrange her thoughts. "I was nine years old, at a county fair...

 _Judy saw one of her sisters skipping behind a booth with Sharla, the little sheep who portrayed an astronaut in her school play, and Sharla's brother Gareth. Right behind them was Gideon Grey and his ferret sidekick, Travis. Her nose twitching, she went to investigate. Peeking around a tree, she saw Gideon standing over Sharla._

 _"Gimme your tickets right now or I'm gonna kick your meek little sheep butt!" The fox hit Sharla across the face and she cried out in pain._

 _"Ow! Cut it out, Gideon!"_

 _He snatched her tickets. "Baa, baa, what are you gonna do? Cry?"_

 _"Hey!" Judy came forward. "You heard her. Cut it out."_

 _"Nice costume, loser." Gideon lumbered towards her, Travis close behind. "What crazy world are you livin' in where you think a bunny could be a cop?"_

 _Judy gulped but bravely held out her paw. "Kindly return my friend's tickets."_

 _The fox grinned wickedly and thumped the chest pocket he had tucked the tickets into. "Come and get 'em. But watch out, 'cause I'm a fox, and like you said in your dumb little stage play, us predators used to **eat** prey, and that killer instinct's still in our dunna."_

 _Travis leaned forward. "Uh, I'm pretty much sure it's pronounced D N A."_

 _Gideon pushed him back. "Don't tell me what I know, Travis."_

 _"You don't scare me, Gideon!" Judy raised her chin and Gideon pushed her so hard she fell to the ground and lay stunned for a moment._

 _"Scared now?" sneered Gideon._

 _"Look at her nose twitch! She **is** scared!" Travis was still hanging back but he was clearly enjoying the show._

 _Gideon bent over Judy. "Cry, little baby bunny."_

 _Judy's ears went up and she pulled back her feet and kicked hard at Gideon's face, sending him back a few steps. The fox felt his lip and glowered at her. "Aw, you don't know when to quit, do you?" He held up a paw and Judy felt her heart start to race so fast her chest hurt. Then he snarled and swiped his claws across her face. Judy put a paw to her cheek and was sickened at the sight of blood, then Gideon was pressing her face into the dirt. "I want you to remember this moment the next time you think you will **ever** be anything more than just a stupid carrot farming dumb bunny!" He gave her head a hard shove and walked off, laughing and high-fiving Travis._

"So that's why you were scared of me at the press conference. Wow." Nick shook his head.

"I wasn't scared of _you_ , Nick. I was just startled because…" Judy's voice dropped. "For a second, I felt like that little bunny getting bullied at the county fair."

"At least you got past it." The fox's voice was surprisingly bitter. "You didn't turn into a loser like I did after the Ranger Scouts."

Judy stopped short and said sternly, "Nick Wilde, that is the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say."

"Really?" He turned to face her and took off his shades, his sharp green eyes boring into her soft violet ones. "I gave up on myself. You didn't even let it slow you down."

"Nick." Judy put her little velvet paw on his arm. "I had my mom and dad and all my brothers and sisters, and I was a hero at school. I was the only one who ever stood up to Gideon Grey. And do you think I had to deal with prejudice against rabbits in a place like Bunnyburrow? What did you have? Your mom, and she died and you were left all alone in a world that hated foxes. I don't blame you for turning out like you did. I admire you for not going totally bad even after all you had been through."

The fox said wistfully, "I could have turned out a lot better."

"And if you had, I might never have met you." Judy's eyes filled with tears. "Is it terrible that I'm so glad to have you as my partner that I wouldn't change anything in your life if it meant we weren't together?"

Nick felt a weight lift from his heart and his eyes twinkled. "Of course it's terrible. It's so terrible I think I need some dinner to make me feel better."

The bunny had to laugh. "I suppose we could stop at a fast food stand."

"I was thinking the Chocolate Moose."

Judy scoffed, "You want to get into the fanciest restaurant in town, tonight, without a reservation?"

"We have a reservation." Nick put his rough red paw over Judy's and gave her a little squeeze. "It's not every day I celebrate getting my partner back."


End file.
